Torque-tube construction.



G. T. HANCHETT.

TORQUE TUBE CONSTRUCHON.

YAPPHCATION FILED JULY24. 1914. RENEWED JULY 22. i915.

l m' fizga Patented Feb. 22,1916.

WITNESSES V l/ll/EIVTUR $7 36 1 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HANCHETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TORQUE-TUBE consrnuorron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed J'uly 24, 1914, Serial No. 852,830. Renewed'July 22, 1915. Serial No. 41,393.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Grouse T. Haxcnn'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torque- Tube Construction, of which the following is a specification.

-My invention relates to the construction .iied and che'apened, but etlfective, construction is provided. I accomplish these desirable results by supporting the end of the torque tube, distant from the differential gears, from a cross-member. which is so .iormcd and connected to the torque tube as to permit movement of the tube about its point of support in the same manner as a universal joint. In my preferred construction, the cross-member is a relatively thin and flexible plate, mounted in a vertical plane between the side frame members of the car, the end of the torque tube extending through and fitting in an opening in the cross-member, the end of the tube being expanded or criniped peripherally about the opening to form a retaining flange or bead for securing the tube in position in the crossanember. The latter is rig'id in a vertical plane, to support the tube, while at the same time the lateral flexibility of the cross plate and the method of mounting the torque tube therein are such as to permit the requisite movement of the torque tube about a pivotal point located at the axis of the tube within the plane of the cross-n1ember.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the devices described,

partly shown in section, Fig. '2 is a partial end view of the same and Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

eterring to the drawings, the cross-memher 1 is secured at its ends in any suitable manner to the side frame members Band 3. In the embodiment of my invention illus trated, the frame side-members are struc- ,tural shapes of channel section, and the cross-member is secured to the lower horizontal flanges of the side-members, by means. of pieces 4: and 5, bent to the form of a right angle, the horizontal portions of which are riveted or otherwise secured to the lower horizontal flanges of the side-members and tliei'ertical portions of which are similarly secured to the cross-member 1.

The torque tube (3 extends from the dill'erential gears of thrcar parallel to and intermediate bet ween side members 2 and 3. The end of the torque tube extends a short distance through an opening made to it the same in the. cross-memlwr intermediate the ends of the same. the end of the torque tube being expanded or crimpcd peripherally as shown at T. to form a retaining bead or flange whereby the tube is secured to the crossmembcr. The cross-member comprises a thin and relatively elastic metallic plate mounted in a vertical plane as shown, this plate being of sullicient rigidity in a vertical plane to support the tube, while at the same time the plate will flex laterally to permit the necessary amount of pivotal movement of the torque tube about the in tersection of the axis of the tube with the plane of plate 1. Preferably, plate lis of maximum height in the vertical plane intersecting the axis of the torque tube, the upper and lower e .lges of plate 1. sloping some whatdownwardly and upwardly, respectively. from this plane to the ends of the cross-member.

It should be understood that my invention is not limited strictly to the exact details of construction shown and described, but that a reasonable range of equivalents is comprised thereby.

Having now described my invention, What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In an automobile, the combination of frame side-members, a cross-member secured at its ends to said side-members, comprising a relatively thin and flexible metallic plate mounted in a vertical plane, and a torque tube having its end secured to said crossmember, substantially as set forth.

2. In an automobile, the combination of around the opening to secure the end of said tube to the cross-member, substantially as set forth.

3. In an automobile, the combination of frame sidemembers,across-member extending between and secured to said side-members, and a torque tube having its end distant from the difl'erential gears mounted in an opening in said cross-member, said crossmember being rigid in a vertical plane but somewhat flexible in a direction parallel to the torque tube, and said torque tube having its end extending through said opening Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, I

having its end extending through an opening in said cross-member intermediate its ends, said end being enlarged peripherally around said opening, substantially as set forth. I

This specification signed and witnessed this 3rd day of June, 1914.

GEORGE T. HANCHETT. \Vitnesses F. D. DORMAN, M. E. BUTLER.

Washington, no. 

